Product of Mexico: Scenes from The Times' investigation

Don Bartletti / Los Angeles Times

Luis Perez, 26 washes clothes after bathing in an irrigation canal outside Campo San Jose. He says people use the canal because water inside the camp runs out or the pressure is too low in the faucets. Snakes have been known to slither by bathers.

Luis Perez, 26 washes clothes after bathing in an irrigation canal outside Campo San Jose. He says people use the canal because water inside the camp runs out or the pressure is too low in the faucets. Snakes have been known to slither by bathers. (Don Bartletti / Los Angeles Times)

As the day draws to a close, a resident of Campo Isabeles roasts corn scavenged from the field behind him. Everyone in the camp works for Rene Produce, one of Sinaloa's largest agricultural exporters. For some like this man, low wages don't quite cover the cost of food and staples.

As the day draws to a close, a resident of Campo Isabeles roasts corn scavenged from the field behind him. Everyone in the camp works for Rene Produce, one of Sinaloa's largest agricultural exporters. For some like this man, low wages don't quite cover the cost of food and staples. (Don Bartletti / Los Angeles Times)